"Zittau and surrounding" a Zittau Travel Page by german_eagle

Zittau, pop. 33'000, is located in the far east of Germany, right on the border to both Poland and Czech Republic. First mentioned in 1238 it quickly grew and became an important town in Bohemian Kingdom. Since 1635 Zittau is part of Saxony, and so German.

It was badly damaged by Austrians on July 23 1757. However, the town recovered and developed as an industrial centre.

Zittau has a nice old town with beautiful patrician houses, churches and buildings in Historistic style.

One highlight alone makes Zittau worth a visit: The Big Lenten Cloth (Fastentuch) from 1472. It is a stunning example of those Clothes which were used to cover the altar in catholic churches during Lent. In its style it is absolutely UNIQUE in the world - the only one preserved. (See my Things To Do Tip)

There is also a smaller one from 1573 which is of different style. It has been restored over the last couple of years, too, and is going to be on display from 2006 on.

This page includes the surroundings of Zittau as well. Beside the stunning cities like Görlitz and Bautzen and the Cistercian convent St. Marienthal - on which I have built separate pages on VT - you *must* pay a visit to the mid-range mountains a few km south of Zittau (Zittauer Gebirge) and the picturesque villages in the countryside around Zittau.